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February 04, 2013 - Cindy Colson - Dulwich Greyhound of a girl, by Roddy Doyle
Booklist starred (March 15, 2012 (Vol. 108, No. 14))
Grades 7-12. Mary, Scarlett, Ember, Tansy. Four generations of the same family. Mary is 12; Scarlett is her mother; Ember, Mary’s grandmother, is dying; and Tansy, Ember’s mother and Mary’s great-grandmother, is a ghost. Isn’t it grand? This elegantly constructed yet beautifully simple story, set in Ireland and spun with affection by Booker Prize–winner Doyle, will be something different for YA readers. It’s Mary who first spots Tansy, and she assumes she’s a new, albeit odd, neighbor. As readers learn through the twisting narrative, Tansy died of the flu when Ember was just three. Now, it is Ember who is dying. Tansy, tethered to this world by guilt, wants to comfort her daughter in ways she was unable to while Ember was growing up. Will Mary and Scarlett help her? That’s the bare bones, but the heart and soul are found in the stories of each life. Sometimes told in separate chapters, sometimes intertwined into the contemporary narrative, they describe the sweet moments and heartaches that come to everyone and crystallize how events long in the past affect the present. There’s more than a touch of magic realism as Mary and Scarlett readily accept Tansy’s ghostliness, but the love they feel for each other is bedrock. These four lilting voices will linger long after the book is closed.
February 04, 2013 - Cindy Colson - Dulwich VIII, by HM Castor: Historical Fiction 2012
Destined for greatness - tormented by demons. VIII (Eight) is the untold story of Henry VIII, a gripping examination of why he turned from a charismatic teenager to the cruel tyrant he became in later life. Hal is a young, handsome and gifted warrior, who believes he has been divinely chosen to lead his people. But throughout his life, he is haunted by a ghostly apparition, and, once he rises to power, he turns to murder and rapacious cruelty.
February 04, 2013 - Cindy Colson - Dulwich Hitler’s Angel, by William Osborne: Historical Fiction 2012
Otto and Leni have escaped to England from Nazi Germany. They thought they were safe, but now the British want them to go back. Dropped behind enemy lines, they embark on a secret operation codenamed Wolfsangel. Their mission is to find and kidnap a girl who could bring down Hitler And so begins their bravest journey yet \.
February 04, 2013 - Cindy Colson - Dulwich The Scorpio Races, by Maggie Stiefwater - Adventure 2011
A stunning new novel from the bestselling author of SHIVER, LINGER AND FOREVER. Stay alive, stay astride, stay out of the water... Every November, the Scorpio Races are run beneath the chalk cliffs of Skarmouth. Thousands gather to watch the horses and the sea that washes the blood from the sand. The mounts are capaill uisce: savage water horses. There are no horses more beautiful, more fearless, more deadly. To race them can be suicide but th danger is irresistible. Sean Kendrick knows the dangers of the capaill uisce. With one foot in the ocean and one on land, he is the only man on th island capable of taming the beasts. He races to prove somethin both to himself and to the horses. Puck Connolly enters the racs to save her family. But the horse she rides is an ordinary little mare, just as Puck is an ordinary girl. When Sean sees Puck on the beach he doesn't think she belongs. He doesn't realize hisate will become entwined in hers. ...
February 04, 2013 - Cindy Colson - Dulwich Sidekicks, by Jack Ferraiolo
Booklist (April 15, 2011 (Vol. 107, No. 16))
Grades 6-9. By all outward appearances, Bright Boy is an average middle-school student, but at night, he becomes the sidekick to superhero Rogue Warrior. Ferraiolo starts the cape-flying action right from the opening pages, in which Bright Boy saves an attractive young female hostage, while TV cameras roll. Back at school, Bright Boy, aka Scott Hutchinson, is embarrassed to find that, thanks to an unfortunate tights episode, Bright Boy has become New York’s biggest joke. Things become more complicated when Scott discovers that his nemesis, Monkeywrench (who is the sidekick to supervillain Dr. Chaotic), is actually a fellow classmate named Allison. As Scott begins to realize that the superhero world does not feature clear-cut divisions between good and evil, he is forced to question who is a foe and who is an ally. Ferraiolo is delightfully unafraid to inject irreverence into the superhero formula, adding plenty of humor to the high-adventure high jinks. The inconclusive ending suggests that more adventures are still to come.
January 29, 2013 - Nadine R. - ISB (Delacorte Press, 2012) - Family fiction On the Run by Clara Bourreau
Translation of: En cavale.;Originally published as En cavale. Paris, France : Editions Pocket Jeunesse, c2009
Grades 5-8. Anthony misses his photographer dad, who has been across the world for two years. What is the secret that his family is hiding? Anthony discovers that, in fact, Dad is in jail, awaiting trial for robbing a bank. Did he kill the bank guard? Then Dad escapes and, with his pictures all over the TV news, he comes to the family in disguise. When Dad leaves again, Anthony joins him on the run from the police. It was Grandpa who taught Anthony’s father to break the law, but Anthony knows that he will break the family tradition and not be a thief when he grows up. Translated from the French, the fast, spare, first-person narrative in the present tense captures the tension between the fugitives, as well as the son’s close bond with the father he loves. Packed with action, the exciting story will make readers rush to the end; then they will want to go back to talk about the issues of guilt and loyalty.
Karen Gockley, ISB, 1/28/2013 Crow Country. *Aussie book, story about moving to a new place, elements of fantasy and realism*Grades 6-9
Booklist (August 2012 (Vol. 108, No. 22))
Grades 6-9. Thirteen-year-old Sadie Hazzard is not happy about moving from Melbourne to tiny rural Boort, where her mum grew up, and adjusting isn’t easy. But soon Sadie discovers Boort holds mysteries, including a cryptic talking crow and an intriguing circle of etched stones in a dry lake bed. Shortly after meeting cute school athlete Lachie, the son of a prominent family, and new-to-town Walter, who is Aboriginal, Sadie is mysteriously transported back in time to 1933 and discovers a dark chapter in Boort’s past involving each of their ancestors. As lore, history, and contemporary life come together, Sadie is given the chance to help make things right in the past—and present—in ways affecting them all. With vivid, richly descriptive prose and an engaging, intimately drawn protagonist, Constable (Cicada Summer, 2011) interweaves mystery, fantasy, mythology, and realism into a compelling novel. She thought-provokingly addresses issues of personal and cultural history; the impact of prejudice and its consequences; and, ultimately, finding reconciliation, respect, and common ground.
1/14/2013 A Boone ISB
Suggestions from 5th Grade students and teachers for next year's Middle Readers Panda List
Brotherband: The Outcasts Book One
by Flanagan, John There is only one way to become a warrior. Boys are chosen for teams called Brotherbands and must endure months of gruelling battles in the treacherous sea. Hal finds himself the unwilling leader of a band of outcasts, the boys that no one wants. They are small and wiry but what they lack in size, they make up with skill and courage.
Grades 5-8. You can’t knock Hiaasen for inconsistency. In his fourth monosyllabically titled book for young readers (after Hoot, 2002; Flush, 2005; and Scat, 2009), he keeps to the same formula: set up a cast of plucky, lovable Everglades kooks, pit them against greedy, wildlife-hating outsiders and buffoonish swamp villains, and mix it all up with offbeat humor, swift plotting, and heartfelt environmentalism. Here, our heroes come in the form of Mickey and Wahoo Cray, a father-son team of wildlife wranglers who get hired by a hit reality show starring “survivalist” Derek Badger. It’s immediately clear that Badger is nothing more than a well-edited fraud who’d rather bite the head off a bat to spike ratings than paint an honest picture of Florida wildlife, but that’s only the beginning of their troubles, which are amped up by a pistol-toting drunk, a scheming producer, and the entirely justified lashing out of the animals themselves. Hiaasen is particularly adept at making the preposterous just barely plausible, and again turns in a finely tuned mix of satire and madcap adventure. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Hiaasen’s built a sizable cadre of young fans, and his adult readers will also take notice of a new book for kids.
The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making
Grades 5-8. When the Green Wind offers to whisk young September from her dull home in Nebraska off to Fairyland, she jumps at the chance and onto his flying leopard. Once in Fairyland (a self-aware mashup of surreal otherworlds from Wonderland to Oz to Neverland), she makes fast friends with a wyverary (the offspring of a dragon and a library); runs afoul of the wicked little girl Marquess, who rules the land with tyrannical poutiness; and traipses about in a loosely plotted series of merry, harrowing, and just plain weird adventures. September herself is a standard-issue fairy-tale fish out of water, ever flummoxed and begging pardon but given to sharp outbursts of pluck in pluckworthy situations. The setting, however, fairly bursts at the seams with darkness, wonder, and oodles of imaginative quirks, while Valente’s busy and at times intrusive narration is thick, thorny, and stylistically vigorous. Chapters are headed by Juan’s dreamy, stubby-figured drawings and a wry look forward (“In Which September Enters the Worsted Wood, Loses All Her Hair, Meets Her Death, and Sings It to Sleep”). The rich, dense vocabulary presents some tricky footing, but for readers like September, who “read often and liked it best when words did not pretend to be simple but put on their full armor and rode out with colors flying,” this book is quite simply a gold mine.
Grades 6-8. Thirteen-year-old Egbert dreams of escaping his dreadful family—and time spent farming ugly fruit—especially after a tutor arrives with a wagon full of books, which reveal the existence of a wider world. His release from his relatives, renaming as “Egg,” and subsequent pirate-packed adventures are hardly more serene, but at least he is not stuck on Deadweather Island. After teaming up with a former adversary turned sidekick and a dreamy rich girl (whose father is trying to kill him for his own father’s heretofore unknown treasure), Egg journeys over land and sea, and battles man and beast, to protect both himself and whatever his father’s mysterious cache may contain. While our hero’s first-person sassiness, smarts, and romantic frustration are not always entirely convincing for someone who, prior to chapter 1, had only ever read one book, Principles of Citrus Cultivation, they are absolutely entertaining. Along with some good and gory descriptions (after all, pirates really aren’t that nice), this introduction to the Chronicles of Egg series is pure fun.
January 11, 2013 - Nadine R. - ISB The Year of the Beasts by Cecil Castellucci (2012) - hybrid graphic novel/novel
Grades 9-12. (Grades 7 and up according to SLJ). The hybrid book that alternates prose and comics chapters is nothing new, but it can be a tricky proposition to get right. There ought to be a reason to fuse the two mediums together, either emphasizing or playing off of the relative strengths of each, and most often there isn’t. Castellucci and Powell make a powerful team, and smartly let the two different breeds breathe in different fashions. In Castellucci’s narrative, teen Tessa is driven wild with jealousy when her younger sister starts dating Tessa’s crush, Charlie. Though Tessa falls for another boy, an awkward loner, she can’t let go of her anger. Powell’s skillfully drawn counterpoint is steeped in mythological undertones, as a girl (presumably Tessa, but never named as such) with Medusa hair turns all who look upon her at home and at school to stone. Meanwhile, a bullheaded boy lurks at the periphery of the loosely framed, haunted panels. It’s initially unclear just what, aside from a general feeling of angst, links the two narratives together, but a focal point of deep tragedy emerges to provide a clarifying effect upon how one relates to the other. Though the ending seems truncated, it gives readers a reason to give the whole thing another go, now that the scales have fallen from their eyes. What emerges is a map that leads into the maze of grief, and an elegant evocation of the monster crouched at its center.
January 11, 2013 - Nadine R. - ISB No Ordinary Day by Deborah Ellis (2011) - realistic fiction
Grades 4-7. Valli, an orphan living in Jharia, India, spends her days picking up coal, fighting with cousins, and avoiding the “monsters” (lepers, actually) who live on the other side of the tracks. When she learns her family are not true blood relatives, she runs away to Kolkata, where she survives by “borrowing” what she needs, using it for a while, and then passing it on to someone else. Finally, she meets Dr. Indra, who recognizes that Valli, too, suffers from leprosy and helps the child to secure treatment and hope for a better future. What keeps this story from becoming maudlin is Valli’s positive outlook. Quick, intelligent, and fearless, she isn’t above begging to ensure her survival, but rarely does she play the victim card. Details about leprosy (causes, symptoms, treatment, prognosis) are carefully woven into the story and never feel forced or didactic. While Valli’s situation will seem alien to most young North Americans, this compelling and accessible novel will enlighten, spark discussion, and prompt readers to try other Ellis titles, in particular, the Breadwinner trilogy. January 10, 2013 - Nadine R. - ISB A World without Fish by Mark Kurlansky (2011) - non-fiction - global warming
Kirkus Reviews (March 15, 2011)
The author ofCod (1997) successfully provides readers with a frightening look at the looming destruction of the oceans. Brief sections in graphic-novel format follow a young girl, Ailat, and her father over a couple of decades as the condition of the ocean grows increasingly dire, eventually an orange, slimy mess mostly occupied by jellyfish and leatherback turtles. At the end, Ailat's young daughter doesn't even know what the word fish means. This is juxtaposed against nonfiction chapters with topics including types of fishing equipment and the damage each causes, a history of the destruction of the cod and its consequences, the international politics of the fishing industry and the effects of pollution and global warming. The final chapter lists of some actions readers could take to attempt to reverse the damage: not eating certain types of fish, joining environmental groups, writing to government officials, picketing seafood stores that sell endangered fish, etc. Whenever an important point is to be made, font size increases dramatically, sometimes so that a single sentence fills a page-attention-getting but distractingly so. While it abounds with information, sadly, no sources are cited, undermining reliability. Additionally, there are no index and no recommended bibliography for further research, diminishing this effort's value as a resource. Depressing and scary yet grimly entertaining. (Nonfiction/graphic-novel hybrid. 10 & up) January 10, 2013 - Nadine R. - ISB The Fingertips of Duncan Dorfman by Meg Wolitzer (2011) - supernaturalism fiction
Booklist (September 15, 2011 (Vol. 108, No. 2))
Grades 5-8. Duncan Dorfman is adjusting to life in a new Michigan town with his struggling single mom, who lands a job at a local big-box store run by a rarely-seen millionaire. After moving, Duncan finds that he can discern letters with the fingertips of his left hand, which helps him choose needed tiles after he joins the school Scrabble club. Eventually, Duncan’s skills bring him to the national Scrabble tournament in Florida, where he meets two other young Scrabble players: a boy from New York City, who has a fraught relationship with his father, and a girl who tries to prove her worth in a family of athletes. As the kids get to know each other, they take a side trip to a crumbling, sinister amusement park, which launches them into an unexpected adventure. At the novel’s end, the focus returns back to Duncan, who discovers a surprise about a family secret. The overpacked plot drags a bit, but readers who stick with it will be rewarded with portraits of winning, well-drawn kids struggling to succeed in a complicated world. January 10, 2013 - Nadine R. - ISB Better than Weird by Anna Kerz (2011) - school fiction
Booklist (April 1, 2011 (Vol. 107, No. 15))
Grades 4-7. Yet another in a long line of recent books about kids with autism, Kerz’s effort nevertheless shines, primarily because in Aaron she has created a kid who captures readers’ complete interest as he struggles with his quirks and tries to be, as the title puts it, better than weird. Aaron’s incentives include his father’s impending return to his life and fear of a class bully named Tufan. Still, spiraling excitability leads the boy, who lives with his grandmother, to be caught up in accidents leading to a broken arm as well as a classroom debacle featuring an overturned fish tank. Losing his sometimes-friend Jeremy over the latter incident seems a harbinger of disappointment to come with his runaway dad, but life’s complications are delicately handled by Kerz, who weaves a multilayered tale. Jeremy’s forgiving nature allows Aaron to handle the glitches in his behavior, because, as Jeremy points out, quoting his own father, “If everything goes smoothly all the time, we’ll never have good stories to tell.” A heartwarming read for fans of realistic fiction. January 10, 2013 - Nadine R. - ISB Icefall by Matthew Kirby (2011) - action
Kirkus Reviews (September 15, 2011)
The king's three children and a small group of warrior-protectors take refuge in a winter-bound steading on a northern fjord and discover there's a traitor in their midst. Beautiful Asa, the eldest princess, faces an arranged marriage, although she loves another. Harald, the youngest, will one day be king. But the narrator, middle daughter Solveig, is neither attractive nor particularly useful, until she begins to realize she has talent as a storyteller and could have a future as a skald, or court bard. As food runs low and bitter winter tightens its hold, someone in the group begins to sabotage the remaining supplies, and Solveig has a dream that foretells a tragic end to their efforts to survive. Interesting, well-developed characters abound, and Solveig's strong narrative voice adds authenticity as she grows into her new role, not just telling stories of the mythical Scandinavian past but creating tales to alter the behavior of those around her. Valid clues and occasional red herrings heighten the sense of mystery. The chilly, claustrophobic, ancient setting is vividly created, and the sense of impending doom generates a gripping suspense overarching the developing--and deteriorating--relationships among the group, marking Kirby (The Clockwork Three, 2010) as a strong emerging novelist. Recommend this one to teens who crave a good mystery set in an icily different time and place. (Alternative historical mystery. 11-18) January 10, 2013 - Nadine R. - ISB The Trouble with May Amelia by Jennifer L. Holm (2012) - historical fiction
Booklist (March 1, 2011 (Vol. 107, No. 13))
Grades 3-6. Decidedly shorter than Holm’s Newbery Honor Book Our Only May Amelia (1999), this sequel is otherwise quite consistent in its folksy language, rural-Washington setting, and plucky protagonist. Living with boisterous brothers, a distracted mother, and a father who considers her “Just Plain Stupid,” May Amelia might be forgiven for thinking that “It is my destiny to die in an outhouse.” The 13-year-old proves resilient, though, both at school and at home on her family’s farm. Helping her family through the rough year of 1900 are the dreams of coming riches, which blossom after they invest with a land speculator. When that deal sours and the whole community is affected, blame lands on May Amelia’s shoulders, since she acted as a translator between the slick shyster and her Finnish-speaking father. With plot elements pulled from the author’s own family history, the book draws to a close with an ending that, though ultimately hopeful, hints at more trouble to come. Line drawings at the start of each chapter add further appeal. January 10, 2013 - Nadine R. - ISB Three Times Lucky by Sheila Turnage (2012) - mystery fiction
Booklist starred (May 1, 2012 (Vol. 108, No. 17))
Grades 4-6. Mysteries abound in this unusual book set in tiny Tupelo Landing, North Carolina, and narrated by Mo, or as she introduces herself, “Miss Moses LoBeau, rising sixth-grader.” First there are old mysteries. What was Mo’s story before Colonel LoBeau rescued her from the creek as a newborn and took her in? And who was the colonel before amnesia wiped away his memory? But soon the plot thickens and more alarming questions arise. Who has murdered one of Tupelo Landing’s most unlikable residents? Who is holding Mo’s unofficially adoptive parents for ransom? How can she and her friend Dale rescue them? While the pace of the narrative is initially languid, the storytelling is always enjoyable, from the amusing early scene in which Mo and Dale make breakfast for the regulars at the café (peanut butter sandwiches with or without the “drink du jour,” Mountain Dew) to her continuing attempts to find her birth mother through messages launched in bottles. Later the pace quickens considerably as the mystery gains momentum, climaxing in an epic scene during a hurricane. Turnage’s lively novel features a distinctive voice and a community of idiosyncratic characters whose interlocking stories are gradually revealed. A sequel is planned for 2013. January 10, 2013 - Nadine R. - ISB Son by Lois Lowry (2012) - final book in The Giver series - scifi
Booklist starred (June 1, 2012 (Vol. 108, No. 19)
Grades 7-10. Fans of The Giver (1993)—and they are legion—will find themselves immediately pulled back into the sterile, ordered world where conformity is the only virtue. The focus here is on 14-year-old Claire, and when readers first see her, she is strapped onto a table, masked, about to give birth. As a Birthmother, Claire’s job is finished once her baby is born, until the next pregnancy. But unusual circumstances, including a cesarean, get Claire moved from the birthing center to the fish hatchery, and someone forgets to give Claire the pills everyone in the community takes—the ones that suppress feelings and individuality. Without that wall, Claire begins to long for her son and finds opportunities to see him. Slowly, readers of the previous titles in the quartet will come to understand that Claire’s baby is not unfamiliar to them. When the boy disappears, Claire decides, against all odds, that she must find him. That brings her to a seaside community where she strengthens body, mind, and spirit to continue her search. One of The Giver’s strengths was the unvarnished writing style that reflected the book’s ordered community. Lowry captures that same feeling again and turns it inside out as Claire moves through two more distinct settings, both haunting in their own right. Though her time at the seaside village may seem long to some readers (and it is—more than 10 years), the vividness of the descriptions—from the hardness of the rock to the roiling of the water—makes up for the length. Lowry is one of those rare writers who can craft stories as meaningful as they are enticing. Once again she provides plenty of weighty matters for readers to think about: What is important in life? What are you willing to trade for your desires? And the conflict that has been going on since stories began: Who is able to conquer evil? Don’t miss our feature, “Another Look at Lois Lowry’s The Giver Quartet.” January 10, 2013 - Nadine R. - ISB The False Prince by Jennifer A. Nielsen (2012) - fantasy
Booklist (April 1, 2012 (Vol. 108, No. 15))
Grades 4-7. This first book in a planned trilogy is action-oriented fantasy, but don’t expect magical creatures. Instead, it revolves around political intrigue (à la Megan Whalen Turner’s The Thief, 1996). Sage is a street-savvy orphan, and along with two other boys he is recruited by Conner, a nobleman who wants to remake them in the image of their country’s lost prince, a victim of pirates and presumed dead. The task is urgent, as the rest of the royal family has been murdered and civil war seems imminent. As the boys, chosen for their passing resemblance to Prince Jaron, compete to assume a new identity and the throne, Sage discovers some unpleasant truths about their host, beyond his treasonous plans to pass one of them off as royalty. Sage is a likable hero full of smart-alecky snarkiness. Especially appealing are the friendships he forges: one with his bodyguard and teacher; another with a mute serving girl. Though lacking in subtlety, Nielsen’s plot twists keep coming, and readers will want to see how they play out as Sage’s adventures continue. January 10, 2013 - Nadine R. - ISB Bluefish by Pat Schmatz (2011) - school fiction
Booklist (November 15, 2011
Grades 6-9. His parents dead, 14-year-old Travis lives with his alcoholic grandfather and his beloved dog, Rosco. When he and his grandfather move to a new town, the dog disappears, and Travis is devastated. Worse, he feels like a “bluefish,” his word for stupid. And, indeed, school is a struggle for him because, as the the reader soon discovers, he has a closely guarded secret. Things begin to change when he meets an eccentric, extroverted girl who calls herself Velveeta. Though she has secrets of her own, she and Travis become friends and cautiously, with the help of an understanding teacher, begin to find ways to deal with their troubles and losses. Travis and Velveeta (her real name is Vida) are sympathetic characters with believable problems. Though this novel offers few surprises and an oddly inconclusive ending, the story is well written and deals realistically with issues that plague many teens. January 10, 2013 - Nadine R. - ISB The Peculiar by Stefan Bachman (2012) - fantasy
Booklist (September 15, 2012 (Vol. 109, No. 2))
Grades 4-7. First-time novelist Bachmann crafts an elaborate alternate steampunk Britain, set after the Smiling War, when a door to the Old Country was opened and faeries of all types streamed into Bath. Bartholomew and his younger sister, Hettie, are changeling children, outcasts even amongst faeries. But someone is extremely interested in changelings, kidnapping and murdering nine of them in attempts to open a new door into the Old Country. When Hettie is taken, Bartholomew must try to save his sister from becoming the gateway that will destroy the world. Imaginative, highly descriptive writing includes faerie lore and mystery, thrilling adventure and friendship, and bursts of the fantastic and whimsical, all of which is tempered with a darkness that permeates the story. Alternating points of view from Bartholomew and Mr. Jelliby, a bumbling yet good-hearted member of the Privy Council who is helping him, keeps the story moving quickly, and the faerie Lord Lickerish is an appropriately creepy villain. January 10, 2013 - Nadine R. - ISB The Mighty Miss Malone by Christopher Paul Curtis (2012) - Companion book to Bud, not Buddy. - historical fiction
Booklist (January 1, 2012 (Vol. 108, No. 9))
Grades 5-7. Deza Malone, 12, has a couple of big things going for her. She comes from a strong family, and she is smart as a whip. But there is plenty of bad to go along with the good. It’s 1936 and her dad can’t find work; her brother, Jimmie, he of the beautiful singing voice, isn’t growing; and her teeth, full of cavities, require treatment of cotton soaked with camphor. Can things get worse? Certainly. Her father disappears and her mother moves the family from Gary to Flint, which lands the trio in a Hooverville shack. Then Jimmie takes off to sing. Curtis tries to do too much here. Consequently, just when readers are getting invested, the story changes course or important plot points are dropped. Deza is devastated when she overhears her father say her rotting teeth make him avert his head, but her suffering is forgotten until, at the conclusion, she goes to a dentist. On the plus side, Deza is a snappy character that will grab readers, and Curtis’ portrayal of a family’s love for each other feels real and true. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Newbery-winner Curtis has a huge following. Readers will be enticed by his return to the Depression-era setting of Bud, Not Buddy (1999) and his reintroduction of Deza, one of the characters from that book. January 10, 2013 - Nadine R. - ISB The second Life of Abigail Walker by Frances O'Roark Dowell (2012) - realistic fiction
Grades 4-7. Abigail Walker is a large girl living in a medium-sized world. She tries to fit in at school with a group of girls whose purpose is defined by how bad they make her feel. On top of that, her father nags her about her weight, and her mother fails to recognize how her insistence on constant harmony is inherently unfair. What Abby wants is “rough edges” and permission “to feel whatever it was she was feeling.” When she encounters a fox in an overgrown lot across the street from her house, it has a talismanic effect, and Abby starts to see how social expectations do not define her own happiness. Dowell masterfully handles the hot-button topic of bullying and will have readers contemplating the pettiness and self-loathing that supports it. Beating at the triumphant heart of the book is Abigail’s realization that life is fullest when experienced genuinely. This is a story of Abigail’s crossings: crossing a computer lab to make a friend; crossing a street to find peaceful isolation; crossing a creek to escape a tormentor; and crossing all the lines drawn to prevent her from feeling alive inside. A timely and heartening book for today’s middle schoolers. January 9, 2013 - Eileen H., Suzhou SIS My Name is Parvana by Deborah Ellis (2012) - realistic fiction
Kirkus Reviews (Online review posted August 1, 2012)
Grades 6 & up "In a follow-up that turns the Breadwinner Trilogy into a quartet, 15-year-old Parvana is imprisoned and interrogated as a suspected terrorist in Afghanistan...
This passionate volume stands on its own, though readers new to the series and to Ellis’ overall body of work will want to read every one of her fine, important novels.
Readers will learn much about the war in Afghanistan even as they cheer on this feisty protagonist." https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/deborah-ellis/my-name-is-parvana/ January 9, 2013 - Nadine R. - ISB After Eli by Rebecca Rupp (2012) - realistic fiction
School Library Journal (September 1, 2012)
Gr 7 Up-Though it's been three years since his older brother was killed during the Iraq War, 14-year-old Danny Anderson is still coming to terms with this senseless tragedy. His parents can't offer solace because they're deeply mired in their own grief. As a means of coping, Danny changes his middle name to Eli to keep the memory of his brother alive, and he begins cataloging a Book of the Dead in which he lists the various ways people throughout history have died. Danny is transformed the summer preceding his sophomore year when he meets 15-year-old Isabelle and her younger brother and sister, twins Jasper and Journey. He also finds comfort in his budding friendship with brainy classmate Walter. As he spends more time with this motley group, Danny feels uplifted and becomes more introspective about life and death. While processing his grief, he starts to realize the importance of moving forward ("Sometimes you have to destroy the past so that you'll have to learn how to live in the new world."). Flashbacks recalling Danny's life with Eli lend heartbreaking pathos to this story. Rupp's poignant bildungsroman is therapeutic, particularly for those readers who have experienced the unimaginable loss of a loved one.-Lalitha Nataraj, Escondido Public Library, CA (c) Copyright 2012. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc.
January 9, 2013 - Nadine R. - ISB Hokey Pokey by Jerry Spinelli (2013) - fantasy/fable
School Library Journal (January 1, 2013)
Gr 5-7-Hokey Pokey is a place where children live and rule themselves, riding bicycles like horses, watching cartoons on huge outdoor screens, throwing tantrums and getting hugged, all without an adult in sight. Their lives are almost pure joy as they dance the eponymous dance, savor the eponymous frozen treat, and listen to The Story of the Kid through little shells they carry in their pockets. Jack is their hero and ringleader, dealing with bully Harold the Destroyer, teaching Kiki lessons in sports and Lopez lessons in life, until the day things begin to change. Jack wakes to find that his beloved bike, Scramjet, has been commandeered by Jubilee, whom he despises because she's a girl. Answering his Tarzan cry of despair, Amigos LaJo and Dusty race to his side and notice before he does that Jack's stomach tattoo, given to all children once they're out of diapers, is starting to disappear. Fighting against the realization that Jack is going to leave them, they lure him into one last bike roundup, roping him and tying him down until Jubilee releases him, recognizing that he cannot resist the pull away from all of them toward the Forbidden Hut and the Train, and into The Story. Using elements of myth, allegory, fantasy, and not-quite science fiction, Spinelli has skillfully combined a stream-of-consciousness narrative with delicious inventive language to create a vivid, dreamlike world. This unforgettable coming-of-age story will resonate with tween readers and take its rightful place beside the author's Maniac Magee (Little, Brown, 1990) and Louis Sachar's Holes (Farrar, 1998).-Marie Orlando, formerly at Suffolk Cooperative Library System, Bellport, NY (c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. January 9, 2013 - Nadine R. - ISB Maggot Moon by Sally Gardner (2012) - dystopia
Publishers Weekly (December 17, 2012)
Just when it seems that there's nothing new under the dystopian sun, Gardner (The Red Necklace) produces an original and unforgettable novel about a boy in a totalitarian society who risks everything in the name of friendship. Standish Treadwell narrates in short, fast-paced chapters, illustrated by theatrical designer/director Crouch with flipbook-style images of rats, flies, and maggots: creatures that represent the oppressive forces at work in the Motherland, a brutish government intent on being first to the moon, at whatever cost to its citizens. Fifteen-year-old Standish is dyslexic (as is the author), making him a target of bullies, which is the least of his problems. He lives with his resourceful grandfather in Zone Seven, but the Motherland has taken away his parents, as well as his best friend, Hector. The loss of his parents has created a hole Standish cannot fill; the disappearance of Hector leaves Standish unprotected at school and bereft of a friend who saw past Standish's disability to recognize his intelligence. "I believe the best thing we have is our imagination," Standish recalls Hector telling him, "and you have that in bucketloads." Though Standish's grandfather keeps the boy purposefully in the dark about many things, Standish figures out one of the government's big secrets on his own, and he concocts a brave and personally risky plan to reveal it. Parts of the story are very hard to read-early on, a classmate is beaten to death by a teacher in the schoolyard-but the violence asks readers to consider what the world would be like if certain events in history had turned out differently. Gardner does a masterful job of portraying Standish's dyslexia through the linguistic swerves of his narration, and although the ending is pure heartbreak, she leaves readers with a hopeful message about the power of one boy to stand up to evil. Ages 12-up. Agent: Catherine Clarke, Felicity Bryan Associates. (Feb.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved. January 9, 2013 - Nadine R. - ISB Peanut by Ayun Halliday (2013) - graphic novel
Horn Book (January/February, 2013)
In this introspective graphic novel, Sadie is apprehensive about changing high schools during her sophomore year. She breaks the ice with her classmates by casually dropping hints about her severe peanut allergy. Soon Sadie's courage in the face of her serious medical condition and her dramatic tales of near-miss incidents attract new friends and a love interest. There's just one problem: Sadie isn't really allergic to peanuts. Inspired by a friend's suggestion that a new school provides "a do-over" and even the possibility of popularity, she has seized the opportunity to reinvent herself. Sadie orders a medical ID bracelet and researches epinephrine injectors to lend credence to her lies even as she agonizes over whether to 'fess up. This secret, shared only with readers, places Sadie in a series of increasingly awkward situations, from cringe-worthy (the bronze-plated peanut on a chain with which new beau Zoo proudly presents her) to utterly humiliating (a school bake sale "emergency" where the truth is revealed). Underneath the many funny moments runs a poignant current as readers recognize -- better than Sadie herself -- the high costs of her dishonesty. Pen-and-ink drawings, digitally colored in blue tones with Sadie always in red, capture nuances of a wide range of emotions: anxiety, self-satisfaction, guilt, betrayal, and ultimately, forgiveness.
January 9, 2013 - Nadine R. - ISB The Revolution of Evelyn Serrano by Sonia Manzano (2012) - realistic fiction
Booklist starred (October 15, 2012 (Vol. 109, No. 4))
Grades 6-9. Starting with the title, this wry, moving debut novel does a great job of blending the personal and the political without denigrating either. Growing up in the Puerto Rican East Harlem barrio in 1969, Rosa, 14, changes her name to Evelyn and tries to be more mainstream. Then her activist abuela arrives from Puerto Rico and moves in, and Evelyn feels as if she’s found “an older overdone version of me.” Abuela inspires Evelyn to join the Young Lords, the political activists who are working closely with the Black Panthers and fighting for Puerto Rican rights. But Evelyn’s mama does not approve, especially when the activists occupy the neighborhood church to demand food and shelter for the poor. Evelyn’s first-person narrative is filled with irreverent one-liners, but it never denies the realism of daily struggle: the “heat and stink of our neighborhood.” Rooted in the author’s own experience, the teen’s intense narrative is set against real-life political events (reports from the New York Times are documented in an appendix), while the family drama and revelations continue right up to the end. January 9, 2013 - Nadine R. - ISB I Funny by James Patterson - realistic fiction
Booklist (October 15, 2012 (Vol. 109, No. 4)
Grades 4-7. Built around the notion of a middle-grade stand-up comedian who delivers jokes sitting down because he is confined to a wheelchair, this tale is written as an extended monologue in which Jamie Grimm (get it?) introduces loyal school friends, his mostly loving adoptive family, and Stevie—his new brother, who is also a vicious bully both online and in person—then proceeds to savage them all indiscriminately from a talent-contest stage. Playing readers’ heartstrings like a banjo, Patterson and Grabenstein also chuck in two girlfriends and a first kiss, hints of a family tragedy strung out until near the end, an uplifting spontaneous routine delivered to the patients of a children’s rehab center, and, both in the narrative and in the line drawings on almost every page, dozens of gags both classic (Do zombies eat doughnuts with their fingers? No. They usually eat their fingers separately) and not so much (When kids in Grossville say, ‘Mommy, can I lick the bowl?’ their mothers say, ‘Be quiet, dear, and just flush’). In all, a brimming bucket of ba-da-bing! that hardly needs a celebrity author to crank up the audience numbers. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Patterson’s full-court press to capture the attention of every market in the reading public continues—and 25 million books sold for young readers proves it’s working.
January 9, 2013 - Nadine R. - ISB Jinxby Sage Blackwood - fantasy
Kirkus Reviews starred (November 1, 2012)
Making unusually entertaining use of well-worn elements, this series opener plops a dense but promising young wizard-in-training between a pair of obnoxious rival mages. Left by his stepparents to die in the dangerous Urwald, Jinx is rescued by Simon Magus, a "possibly evil" forest-dwelling wizard whose obsession with magical research is matched only by a truly profound lack of people skills. Several years later, having learned a little magic but also injured by one of Simon's spells, Jinx stomps off in a rage to seek help. But hardly has he fallen in with a couple of ensorcelled fellow travelers, than all three fall into the clutches of the genial but rightly feared Bonemaster. Along with setting this adventuresome outing in a sentient forest populated by trolls, werewolves and giddy witches who bound about in butter churns, the pseudonymous Blackwood spins out lively dialogue threaded with comical rudeness and teasing. Trotting out a supporting cast whose inner characters are often at thought-provoking odds with their outer seeming, she also puts her central three through a string of suspenseful, scary situations before delivering a properly balanced closing set of resolutions, revelations and road signs to future episodes. Unsurprisingly, Jinx displays hints of developing powers beyond the ordinary. Astonishingly, he and his world still seem fresh, for all that they echo familiar tropes. (Fantasy. 10-12) December 4, 2012 - Nadine R. - ISB - fantasy Ruby Red by Kerstin Gier (originally published in Germany in 2009 as Rubinrot, published in the US in 2011 by Henry Holt & Co as Ruby Red) From the Publisher: Gwyneth Shepherd's sophisticated, beautiful cousin Charlotte has been prepared her entire life for traveling through time. But unexpectedly, it is Gwyneth, who in the middle of class takes a sudden spin to a different era! Gwyneth must now unearth the mystery of why her mother would lie about her birth date to ward off suspicion about her ability, brush up on her history, and work with Gideon &- the time traveler from a similarly gifted family that passes the gene through its male line, and whose presence becomes, in time, less insufferable and more essential. Together, Gwyneth and Gideon journey through time to discover who, in the 18th century and in contemporary London, they can trust. December 4, 2012 - Nadine R. - ISB After by Morris Gleitzman (2012) - historical fiction
This is the fourth book in the series Once, Then, Now. After fits in between Then and Now and continues the adventures of Felix during WW II.
Felix, now 13, has been in hiding for two years in a barn on the farm belonging to his friend, Gabriek. He mistakes a party of men who arrive at the farm for Nazis. Polish partisans are fighting the retreating Germans and, unbeknown to Felix, Gabriek is an explosives expert and one of them. Read more:http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/books/powerful-final-chapter-ends-a-boys-war-20120823-24nao.html#ixzz2E33Me4re
The four books, Now, Then, After, Now can be read as separate works and not necessarily in order.
December 11, 2012 - Nadine R. - ISB Hero on a bicycleby Shirley Hughes (Walker Books, 2012) - historical fiction
From the Publisher: In her first novel, beloved author Shirley Hughes presents a World War II adventure proving that in extraordinary circumstances, people are capable of extraordinary things.
Italy, 1944: Florence is occupied by Nazi forces. The Italian resistance movement has not given up hope, though — and neither have thirteen-year- old Paolo and his sister, Costanza. As their mother is pressured into harboring escaping POWs, Paolo and Costanza each find a part to play in opposing the German forces. Both are desperate to fight the occupation, but what can two siblings — with only a bicycle to help them — do against a whole army? Middle-grade fans of history and adventure will be riveted by the action and the vividly evoked tension of World War II.
November 15, 2012 - Karen G. , ISB Ungifted by Gordon Korman - school fiction
Booklist (July 2012 (Vol. 108, No. 21))
Grades 5-8. Korman’s novel follows the strange journey of Donovan Curtis, a prankster whose latest escapade does unintended but colossal damage to the Hardcastle Middle School gym and lands him in the beleaguered school superintendent’s office. There he is miraculously misassigned to the district’s gifted school, where this average student is determined to stay, hiding out from the administration and the retribution he fears. Meanwhile, Donovan makes a place for himself on the school’s robotics team and begins to see his gifted classmates in a new light. Similar to the approach used in Schooled (2007), here Korman tells the story vividly through a rotating series of first-person narrators, including Donovan, his classmates, his teachers, his sister, and the superintendent. The narrator’s name and IQ appears below each chapter’s title. While some stereotypes are upended and there are plenty of issues to ponder along the way, many readers will simply enjoy following Donovan’s story as it unfolds. From its lovable-robot jacket art to its satisfying conclusion, this will please Korman’s fans and win him new ones. Hands around the Library: Protecting Egypt's Treasured Books by Susan Roth - non-fiction
Booklist (September 1, 2012 (Vol. 109, No. 1))
Grades 2-4. Straight from recent headlines, this stirring picture book tells of young people’s role in leading the Egyptian uprising. Both the direct free-verse lines and pictures reveal the exciting story of how crowds of kids join hands with the library director to protect the beautiful modern building and its more than one million books and up-to-date technology. Then the young marchers spread a huge Egyptian flag across the library steps. One child is excited and hopeful: They raised their voices / and many others followed. But there is also fear: What if angry protestors tried to burn down the precious library? Roth’s collage illustrations contrast scenes of the library’s interior with marchers in the streets of Cairo and Alexandria. The extensive back matter includes translations of the Arabic protest signs, facts about Alexandria then and now, and photos of the library—streets packed with fierce protestors and the real flag on the library steps. A great title for cross curricular sharing. November 22, 2012 - Nadine R. - ISB Gods and Warriors by Michelle Paver (Puffin, 2012) - historical fiction
From a time of myths and ancient magic will come the legend of the lost city of Atlantis, tales of gods and warriors - and the rise of a hero.
His sister is missing. His dog has been killed. High in the Greek mountains, Hylas is running for his life.
The mysterious black warriors want Hylas dead. So begins his quest across land and sea with only a girl and a dolphin by his side. But the warriors are relentless. Why are they hunting Hylas - and how will he survive?
Perfect for fans of epic, action-packed adventures from Pirates of the Caribbean to The Lord of the Rings. Don't miss this brand new series from the internationally acclaimed Michelle Paver, author of Wolf Brother. November 22, 2012 - Nadine R. - ISB Fourmile by Watt Key - realistic fiction
Horn Book (November/December, 2012)
Twelve-year-old Foster is bereft without his father, killed in a recent accident in the woods. His family’s two-hundred-acre farm, Fourmile, “was something I was molded around, all I knew, the best of him and me and Mother.” Now, without his father, everything seems “still and quiet and lifeless,” and things get worse when his mother’s new boyfriend, Dax, shows up drunk and mean. But then a mysterious stranger comes into their lives and changes everything. He becomes a father figure for Foster, and together they fix the barn roof, paint the fence, get the old tractor going, and mow the fields. Gary even shows Foster how to shoot a pistol. But Dax is jealous of Gary and the increasing attention he seems to be getting from Linda, Foster’s mother. A gun-toting stranger, a jealous boyfriend, a woman caught in the middle, and the likelihood of violence -- it all sounds like something out of the Wild West, but this novel is set in modern-day rural Alabama. Though Gary makes Foster’s life “fresh and adventurous,” danger is afoot, and Foster will do a lot of growing up in a short time. Key masterfully plots the story of home, family, and fate, and readers will race to the conclusion, sensing the trouble to come between Dax and Gary; throughout, it’s the uncertainty surrounding Gary’s identity and past that will keep readers intrigued. An original and satisfying coming-of-age tale. dean schneider November 12, 2012 - Eleanor S - IST Divergent (Book 1)by Veronica Roth. Katherine Tegen Books, 2011. - dystopia This is the first book in a trilogy with Insurgent (Book 2) already available in hardcover. With a huge and growing following and lots of buzz around the pending film-version, the book is sure to appeal to the Hunger Gamesfan. From Horn Book: "Divergent by Veronica Roth is a movie-ready example of a novel that includes tantalizing snippets of a dystopic society that has led to citizens deriving their identity from belonging to one of five personality-based factions. While much of the focus is actually on Beatrice’s response to not slotting perfectly into one of those factions and her training once she chooses, there is no doubt that she will indeed select from the limited options she is presented, unable to envision what a different path would resemble." November 12, 2012 - Nadine R. - ISB Wonder by R.J. Palacio. Transworld Publishers Ltd, p2012, c2012 - school fiction/realistic fiction
Ten-year-old August Pullman wants to be ordinary. He feels ordinary - inside. But Auggie is far from ordinary. Born with a terrible facial abnormality, he has been home-schooled by his parents his entire life. Now, Auggie's parents are sending him to a real school. Can he convince his new classmates that he's just like them, underneath it all? (From Titlewave) November 12, 2012 - Nadine R. - ISB Variant by Robison Wells. Harper Teen, c2011 - scifi
After years in foster homes, seventeen-year-old Benson Fisher applies to New Mexico's Maxfield Academy in hopes of securing a brighter future, but instead he finds that the school is a prison and no one is what he or she seems. Booklist (October 15, 2011 (Vol. 108, No. 4))
Grades 8-11. .... This is good old-fashioned paranoia taken to giddy extremes, especially when a totally implausible—but nonetheless enjoyably insane—twist upends the plot in the final act. Take Veronica Roth’s Divergent (2011), strip out the angst, add a Michael Grant–level storytelling pace, and you have this very satisfying series starter. (Book 2: Feedback
c2012)
February 04, 2013 - Cindy Colson - Dulwich
Greyhound of a girl, by Roddy Doyle
Booklist starred (March 15, 2012 (Vol. 108, No. 14))
Grades 7-12. Mary, Scarlett, Ember, Tansy. Four generations of the same family. Mary is 12; Scarlett is her mother; Ember, Mary’s grandmother, is dying; and Tansy, Ember’s mother and Mary’s great-grandmother, is a ghost. Isn’t it grand? This elegantly constructed yet beautifully simple story, set in Ireland and spun with affection by Booker Prize–winner Doyle, will be something different for YA readers. It’s Mary who first spots Tansy, and she assumes she’s a new, albeit odd, neighbor. As readers learn through the twisting narrative, Tansy died of the flu when Ember was just three. Now, it is Ember who is dying. Tansy, tethered to this world by guilt, wants to comfort her daughter in ways she was unable to while Ember was growing up. Will Mary and Scarlett help her? That’s the bare bones, but the heart and soul are found in the stories of each life. Sometimes told in separate chapters, sometimes intertwined into the contemporary narrative, they describe the sweet moments and heartaches that come to everyone and crystallize how events long in the past affect the present. There’s more than a touch of magic realism as Mary and Scarlett readily accept Tansy’s ghostliness, but the love they feel for each other is bedrock. These four lilting voices will linger long after the book is closed.
February 04, 2013 - Cindy Colson - Dulwich
VIII, by HM Castor: Historical Fiction 2012
Destined for greatness - tormented by demons. VIII (Eight) is the untold story of Henry VIII, a gripping examination of why he turned from a charismatic teenager to the cruel tyrant he became in later life. Hal is a young, handsome and gifted warrior, who believes he has been divinely chosen to lead his people. But throughout his life, he is haunted by a ghostly apparition, and, once he rises to power, he turns to murder and rapacious cruelty.
February 04, 2013 - Cindy Colson - Dulwich
Hitler’s Angel, by William Osborne: Historical Fiction 2012
Otto and Leni have escaped to England from Nazi Germany. They thought they were safe, but now the British want them to go back. Dropped behind enemy lines, they embark on a secret operation codenamed Wolfsangel. Their mission is to find and kidnap a girl who could bring down Hitler And so begins their bravest journey yet \.
February 04, 2013 - Cindy Colson - Dulwich
The Scorpio Races, by Maggie Stiefwater - Adventure 2011
A stunning new novel from the bestselling author of SHIVER, LINGER AND FOREVER. Stay alive, stay astride, stay out of the water... Every November, the Scorpio Races are run beneath the chalk cliffs of Skarmouth. Thousands gather to watch the horses and the sea that washes the blood from the sand. The mounts are capaill uisce: savage water horses. There are no horses more beautiful, more fearless, more deadly. To race them can be suicide but th danger is irresistible. Sean Kendrick knows the dangers of the capaill uisce. With one foot in the ocean and one on land, he is the only man on th island capable of taming the beasts. He races to prove somethin both to himself and to the horses. Puck Connolly enters the racs to save her family. But the horse she rides is an ordinary little mare, just as Puck is an ordinary girl. When Sean sees Puck on the beach he doesn't think she belongs. He doesn't realize hisate will become entwined in hers. ...
February 04, 2013 - Cindy Colson - Dulwich
Sidekicks, by Jack Ferraiolo
Booklist (April 15, 2011 (Vol. 107, No. 16))
Grades 6-9. By all outward appearances, Bright Boy is an average middle-school student, but at night, he becomes the sidekick to superhero Rogue Warrior. Ferraiolo starts the cape-flying action right from the opening pages, in which Bright Boy saves an attractive young female hostage, while TV cameras roll. Back at school, Bright Boy, aka Scott Hutchinson, is embarrassed to find that, thanks to an unfortunate tights episode, Bright Boy has become New York’s biggest joke. Things become more complicated when Scott discovers that his nemesis, Monkeywrench (who is the sidekick to supervillain Dr. Chaotic), is actually a fellow classmate named Allison. As Scott begins to realize that the superhero world does not feature clear-cut divisions between good and evil, he is forced to question who is a foe and who is an ally. Ferraiolo is delightfully unafraid to inject irreverence into the superhero formula, adding plenty of humor to the high-adventure high jinks. The inconclusive ending suggests that more adventures are still to come.January 29, 2013 - Nadine R. - ISB (Delacorte Press, 2012) - Family fiction
On the Run by Clara Bourreau
Translation of: En cavale.;Originally published as En cavale. Paris, France : Editions Pocket Jeunesse, c2009
Grades 5-8. Anthony misses his photographer dad, who has been across the world for two years. What is the secret that his family is hiding? Anthony discovers that, in fact, Dad is in jail, awaiting trial for robbing a bank. Did he kill the bank guard? Then Dad escapes and, with his pictures all over the TV news, he comes to the family in disguise. When Dad leaves again, Anthony joins him on the run from the police. It was Grandpa who taught Anthony’s father to break the law, but Anthony knows that he will break the family tradition and not be a thief when he grows up. Translated from the French, the fast, spare, first-person narrative in the present tense captures the tension between the fugitives, as well as the son’s close bond with the father he loves. Packed with action, the exciting story will make readers rush to the end; then they will want to go back to talk about the issues of guilt and loyalty.
Karen Gockley, ISB, 1/28/2013
Crow Country. *Aussie book, story about moving to a new place, elements of fantasy and realism*Grades 6-9
Booklist (August 2012 (Vol. 108, No. 22))
Grades 6-9. Thirteen-year-old Sadie Hazzard is not happy about moving from Melbourne to tiny rural Boort, where her mum grew up, and adjusting isn’t easy. But soon Sadie discovers Boort holds mysteries, including a cryptic talking crow and an intriguing circle of etched stones in a dry lake bed. Shortly after meeting cute school athlete Lachie, the son of a prominent family, and new-to-town Walter, who is Aboriginal, Sadie is mysteriously transported back in time to 1933 and discovers a dark chapter in Boort’s past involving each of their ancestors. As lore, history, and contemporary life come together, Sadie is given the chance to help make things right in the past—and present—in ways affecting them all. With vivid, richly descriptive prose and an engaging, intimately drawn protagonist, Constable (Cicada Summer, 2011) interweaves mystery, fantasy, mythology, and realism into a compelling novel. She thought-provokingly addresses issues of personal and cultural history; the impact of prejudice and its consequences; and, ultimately, finding reconciliation, respect, and common ground.1/14/2013 A Boone ISB
Suggestions from 5th Grade students and teachers for next year's Middle Readers Panda List
Brotherband: The Outcasts Book One
by Flanagan, JohnThere is only one way to become a warrior. Boys are chosen for teams called Brotherbands and must endure months of gruelling battles in the treacherous sea. Hal finds himself the unwilling leader of a band of outcasts, the boys that no one wants. They are small and wiry but what they lack in size, they make up with skill and courage.
Chomp
by Hiaasen, CarlBooklist (November 15, 2011 (Vol. 108, No. 6))
Grades 5-8. You can’t knock Hiaasen for inconsistency. In his fourth monosyllabically titled book for young readers (after Hoot, 2002; Flush, 2005; and Scat, 2009), he keeps to the same formula: set up a cast of plucky, lovable Everglades kooks, pit them against greedy, wildlife-hating outsiders and buffoonish swamp villains, and mix it all up with offbeat humor, swift plotting, and heartfelt environmentalism. Here, our heroes come in the form of Mickey and Wahoo Cray, a father-son team of wildlife wranglers who get hired by a hit reality show starring “survivalist” Derek Badger. It’s immediately clear that Badger is nothing more than a well-edited fraud who’d rather bite the head off a bat to spike ratings than paint an honest picture of Florida wildlife, but that’s only the beginning of their troubles, which are amped up by a pistol-toting drunk, a scheming producer, and the entirely justified lashing out of the animals themselves. Hiaasen is particularly adept at making the preposterous just barely plausible, and again turns in a finely tuned mix of satire and madcap adventure. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Hiaasen’s built a sizable cadre of young fans, and his adult readers will also take notice of a new book for kids.The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making
by Valente, Catherynne M.Booklist starred (April 15, 2011 (Vol. 107, No. 16))
Grades 5-8. When the Green Wind offers to whisk young September from her dull home in Nebraska off to Fairyland, she jumps at the chance and onto his flying leopard. Once in Fairyland (a self-aware mashup of surreal otherworlds from Wonderland to Oz to Neverland), she makes fast friends with a wyverary (the offspring of a dragon and a library); runs afoul of the wicked little girl Marquess, who rules the land with tyrannical poutiness; and traipses about in a loosely plotted series of merry, harrowing, and just plain weird adventures. September herself is a standard-issue fairy-tale fish out of water, ever flummoxed and begging pardon but given to sharp outbursts of pluck in pluckworthy situations. The setting, however, fairly bursts at the seams with darkness, wonder, and oodles of imaginative quirks, while Valente’s busy and at times intrusive narration is thick, thorny, and stylistically vigorous. Chapters are headed by Juan’s dreamy, stubby-figured drawings and a wry look forward (“In Which September Enters the Worsted Wood, Loses All Her Hair, Meets Her Death, and Sings It to Sleep”). The rich, dense vocabulary presents some tricky footing, but for readers like September, who “read often and liked it best when words did not pretend to be simple but put on their full armor and rode out with colors flying,” this book is quite simply a gold mine.Deadweather and Sunrise
by Rodkey, Geoff, 1970-Booklist (June 1, 2012 (Vol. 108, No. 19))
Grades 6-8. Thirteen-year-old Egbert dreams of escaping his dreadful family—and time spent farming ugly fruit—especially after a tutor arrives with a wagon full of books, which reveal the existence of a wider world. His release from his relatives, renaming as “Egg,” and subsequent pirate-packed adventures are hardly more serene, but at least he is not stuck on Deadweather Island. After teaming up with a former adversary turned sidekick and a dreamy rich girl (whose father is trying to kill him for his own father’s heretofore unknown treasure), Egg journeys over land and sea, and battles man and beast, to protect both himself and whatever his father’s mysterious cache may contain. While our hero’s first-person sassiness, smarts, and romantic frustration are not always entirely convincing for someone who, prior to chapter 1, had only ever read one book, Principles of Citrus Cultivation, they are absolutely entertaining. Along with some good and gory descriptions (after all, pirates really aren’t that nice), this introduction to the Chronicles of Egg series is pure fun.January 11, 2013 - Nadine R. - ISB
The Year of the Beasts by Cecil Castellucci (2012) - hybrid graphic novel/novel
Booklist starred (March 1, 2012 (Vol. 108, No. 13))
Grades 9-12. (Grades 7 and up according to SLJ). The hybrid book that alternates prose and comics chapters is nothing new, but it can be a tricky proposition to get right. There ought to be a reason to fuse the two mediums together, either emphasizing or playing off of the relative strengths of each, and most often there isn’t. Castellucci and Powell make a powerful team, and smartly let the two different breeds breathe in different fashions. In Castellucci’s narrative, teen Tessa is driven wild with jealousy when her younger sister starts dating Tessa’s crush, Charlie. Though Tessa falls for another boy, an awkward loner, she can’t let go of her anger. Powell’s skillfully drawn counterpoint is steeped in mythological undertones, as a girl (presumably Tessa, but never named as such) with Medusa hair turns all who look upon her at home and at school to stone. Meanwhile, a bullheaded boy lurks at the periphery of the loosely framed, haunted panels. It’s initially unclear just what, aside from a general feeling of angst, links the two narratives together, but a focal point of deep tragedy emerges to provide a clarifying effect upon how one relates to the other. Though the ending seems truncated, it gives readers a reason to give the whole thing another go, now that the scales have fallen from their eyes. What emerges is a map that leads into the maze of grief, and an elegant evocation of the monster crouched at its center.January 11, 2013 - Nadine R. - ISB
No Ordinary Day by Deborah Ellis (2011) - realistic fiction
Booklist starred (November 1, 2011 (Vol. 108, No. 5))
Grades 4-7. Valli, an orphan living in Jharia, India, spends her days picking up coal, fighting with cousins, and avoiding the “monsters” (lepers, actually) who live on the other side of the tracks. When she learns her family are not true blood relatives, she runs away to Kolkata, where she survives by “borrowing” what she needs, using it for a while, and then passing it on to someone else. Finally, she meets Dr. Indra, who recognizes that Valli, too, suffers from leprosy and helps the child to secure treatment and hope for a better future. What keeps this story from becoming maudlin is Valli’s positive outlook. Quick, intelligent, and fearless, she isn’t above begging to ensure her survival, but rarely does she play the victim card. Details about leprosy (causes, symptoms, treatment, prognosis) are carefully woven into the story and never feel forced or didactic. While Valli’s situation will seem alien to most young North Americans, this compelling and accessible novel will enlighten, spark discussion, and prompt readers to try other Ellis titles, in particular, the Breadwinner trilogy.January 10, 2013 - Nadine R. - ISB
A World without Fish by Mark Kurlansky (2011) - non-fiction - global warming
Kirkus Reviews (March 15, 2011)
The author ofCod (1997) successfully provides readers with a frightening look at the looming destruction of the oceans. Brief sections in graphic-novel format follow a young girl, Ailat, and her father over a couple of decades as the condition of the ocean grows increasingly dire, eventually an orange, slimy mess mostly occupied by jellyfish and leatherback turtles. At the end, Ailat's young daughter doesn't even know what the word fish means. This is juxtaposed against nonfiction chapters with topics including types of fishing equipment and the damage each causes, a history of the destruction of the cod and its consequences, the international politics of the fishing industry and the effects of pollution and global warming. The final chapter lists of some actions readers could take to attempt to reverse the damage: not eating certain types of fish, joining environmental groups, writing to government officials, picketing seafood stores that sell endangered fish, etc. Whenever an important point is to be made, font size increases dramatically, sometimes so that a single sentence fills a page-attention-getting but distractingly so. While it abounds with information, sadly, no sources are cited, undermining reliability. Additionally, there are no index and no recommended bibliography for further research, diminishing this effort's value as a resource. Depressing and scary yet grimly entertaining. (Nonfiction/graphic-novel hybrid. 10 & up)January 10, 2013 - Nadine R. - ISB
The Fingertips of Duncan Dorfman by Meg Wolitzer (2011) - supernaturalism fiction
Booklist (September 15, 2011 (Vol. 108, No. 2))
Grades 5-8. Duncan Dorfman is adjusting to life in a new Michigan town with his struggling single mom, who lands a job at a local big-box store run by a rarely-seen millionaire. After moving, Duncan finds that he can discern letters with the fingertips of his left hand, which helps him choose needed tiles after he joins the school Scrabble club. Eventually, Duncan’s skills bring him to the national Scrabble tournament in Florida, where he meets two other young Scrabble players: a boy from New York City, who has a fraught relationship with his father, and a girl who tries to prove her worth in a family of athletes. As the kids get to know each other, they take a side trip to a crumbling, sinister amusement park, which launches them into an unexpected adventure. At the novel’s end, the focus returns back to Duncan, who discovers a surprise about a family secret. The overpacked plot drags a bit, but readers who stick with it will be rewarded with portraits of winning, well-drawn kids struggling to succeed in a complicated world.January 10, 2013 - Nadine R. - ISB
Better than Weird by Anna Kerz (2011) - school fiction
Booklist (April 1, 2011 (Vol. 107, No. 15))
Grades 4-7. Yet another in a long line of recent books about kids with autism, Kerz’s effort nevertheless shines, primarily because in Aaron she has created a kid who captures readers’ complete interest as he struggles with his quirks and tries to be, as the title puts it, better than weird. Aaron’s incentives include his father’s impending return to his life and fear of a class bully named Tufan. Still, spiraling excitability leads the boy, who lives with his grandmother, to be caught up in accidents leading to a broken arm as well as a classroom debacle featuring an overturned fish tank. Losing his sometimes-friend Jeremy over the latter incident seems a harbinger of disappointment to come with his runaway dad, but life’s complications are delicately handled by Kerz, who weaves a multilayered tale. Jeremy’s forgiving nature allows Aaron to handle the glitches in his behavior, because, as Jeremy points out, quoting his own father, “If everything goes smoothly all the time, we’ll never have good stories to tell.” A heartwarming read for fans of realistic fiction.January 10, 2013 - Nadine R. - ISB
Icefall by Matthew Kirby (2011) - action
Kirkus Reviews (September 15, 2011)
The king's three children and a small group of warrior-protectors take refuge in a winter-bound steading on a northern fjord and discover there's a traitor in their midst. Beautiful Asa, the eldest princess, faces an arranged marriage, although she loves another. Harald, the youngest, will one day be king. But the narrator, middle daughter Solveig, is neither attractive nor particularly useful, until she begins to realize she has talent as a storyteller and could have a future as a skald, or court bard. As food runs low and bitter winter tightens its hold, someone in the group begins to sabotage the remaining supplies, and Solveig has a dream that foretells a tragic end to their efforts to survive. Interesting, well-developed characters abound, and Solveig's strong narrative voice adds authenticity as she grows into her new role, not just telling stories of the mythical Scandinavian past but creating tales to alter the behavior of those around her. Valid clues and occasional red herrings heighten the sense of mystery. The chilly, claustrophobic, ancient setting is vividly created, and the sense of impending doom generates a gripping suspense overarching the developing--and deteriorating--relationships among the group, marking Kirby (The Clockwork Three, 2010) as a strong emerging novelist. Recommend this one to teens who crave a good mystery set in an icily different time and place. (Alternative historical mystery. 11-18)January 10, 2013 - Nadine R. - ISB
The Trouble with May Amelia by Jennifer L. Holm (2012) - historical fiction
Booklist (March 1, 2011 (Vol. 107, No. 13))
Grades 3-6. Decidedly shorter than Holm’s Newbery Honor Book Our Only May Amelia (1999), this sequel is otherwise quite consistent in its folksy language, rural-Washington setting, and plucky protagonist. Living with boisterous brothers, a distracted mother, and a father who considers her “Just Plain Stupid,” May Amelia might be forgiven for thinking that “It is my destiny to die in an outhouse.” The 13-year-old proves resilient, though, both at school and at home on her family’s farm. Helping her family through the rough year of 1900 are the dreams of coming riches, which blossom after they invest with a land speculator. When that deal sours and the whole community is affected, blame lands on May Amelia’s shoulders, since she acted as a translator between the slick shyster and her Finnish-speaking father. With plot elements pulled from the author’s own family history, the book draws to a close with an ending that, though ultimately hopeful, hints at more trouble to come. Line drawings at the start of each chapter add further appeal.January 10, 2013 - Nadine R. - ISB
Three Times Lucky by Sheila Turnage (2012) - mystery fiction
Booklist starred (May 1, 2012 (Vol. 108, No. 17))
Grades 4-6. Mysteries abound in this unusual book set in tiny Tupelo Landing, North Carolina, and narrated by Mo, or as she introduces herself, “Miss Moses LoBeau, rising sixth-grader.” First there are old mysteries. What was Mo’s story before Colonel LoBeau rescued her from the creek as a newborn and took her in? And who was the colonel before amnesia wiped away his memory? But soon the plot thickens and more alarming questions arise. Who has murdered one of Tupelo Landing’s most unlikable residents? Who is holding Mo’s unofficially adoptive parents for ransom? How can she and her friend Dale rescue them? While the pace of the narrative is initially languid, the storytelling is always enjoyable, from the amusing early scene in which Mo and Dale make breakfast for the regulars at the café (peanut butter sandwiches with or without the “drink du jour,” Mountain Dew) to her continuing attempts to find her birth mother through messages launched in bottles. Later the pace quickens considerably as the mystery gains momentum, climaxing in an epic scene during a hurricane. Turnage’s lively novel features a distinctive voice and a community of idiosyncratic characters whose interlocking stories are gradually revealed. A sequel is planned for 2013.January 10, 2013 - Nadine R. - ISB
Son by Lois Lowry (2012) - final book in The Giver series - scifi
Booklist starred (June 1, 2012 (Vol. 108, No. 19)
Grades 7-10. Fans of The Giver (1993)—and they are legion—will find themselves immediately pulled back into the sterile, ordered world where conformity is the only virtue. The focus here is on 14-year-old Claire, and when readers first see her, she is strapped onto a table, masked, about to give birth. As a Birthmother, Claire’s job is finished once her baby is born, until the next pregnancy. But unusual circumstances, including a cesarean, get Claire moved from the birthing center to the fish hatchery, and someone forgets to give Claire the pills everyone in the community takes—the ones that suppress feelings and individuality. Without that wall, Claire begins to long for her son and finds opportunities to see him. Slowly, readers of the previous titles in the quartet will come to understand that Claire’s baby is not unfamiliar to them. When the boy disappears, Claire decides, against all odds, that she must find him. That brings her to a seaside community where she strengthens body, mind, and spirit to continue her search. One of The Giver’s strengths was the unvarnished writing style that reflected the book’s ordered community. Lowry captures that same feeling again and turns it inside out as Claire moves through two more distinct settings, both haunting in their own right. Though her time at the seaside village may seem long to some readers (and it is—more than 10 years), the vividness of the descriptions—from the hardness of the rock to the roiling of the water—makes up for the length. Lowry is one of those rare writers who can craft stories as meaningful as they are enticing. Once again she provides plenty of weighty matters for readers to think about: What is important in life? What are you willing to trade for your desires? And the conflict that has been going on since stories began: Who is able to conquer evil? Don’t miss our feature, “Another Look at Lois Lowry’s The Giver Quartet.”January 10, 2013 - Nadine R. - ISB
The False Prince by Jennifer A. Nielsen (2012) - fantasy
Booklist (April 1, 2012 (Vol. 108, No. 15))
Grades 4-7. This first book in a planned trilogy is action-oriented fantasy, but don’t expect magical creatures. Instead, it revolves around political intrigue (à la Megan Whalen Turner’s The Thief, 1996). Sage is a street-savvy orphan, and along with two other boys he is recruited by Conner, a nobleman who wants to remake them in the image of their country’s lost prince, a victim of pirates and presumed dead. The task is urgent, as the rest of the royal family has been murdered and civil war seems imminent. As the boys, chosen for their passing resemblance to Prince Jaron, compete to assume a new identity and the throne, Sage discovers some unpleasant truths about their host, beyond his treasonous plans to pass one of them off as royalty. Sage is a likable hero full of smart-alecky snarkiness. Especially appealing are the friendships he forges: one with his bodyguard and teacher; another with a mute serving girl. Though lacking in subtlety, Nielsen’s plot twists keep coming, and readers will want to see how they play out as Sage’s adventures continue.January 10, 2013 - Nadine R. - ISB
Bluefish by Pat Schmatz (2011) - school fiction
Booklist (November 15, 2011
Grades 6-9. His parents dead, 14-year-old Travis lives with his alcoholic grandfather and his beloved dog, Rosco. When he and his grandfather move to a new town, the dog disappears, and Travis is devastated. Worse, he feels like a “bluefish,” his word for stupid. And, indeed, school is a struggle for him because, as the the reader soon discovers, he has a closely guarded secret. Things begin to change when he meets an eccentric, extroverted girl who calls herself Velveeta. Though she has secrets of her own, she and Travis become friends and cautiously, with the help of an understanding teacher, begin to find ways to deal with their troubles and losses. Travis and Velveeta (her real name is Vida) are sympathetic characters with believable problems. Though this novel offers few surprises and an oddly inconclusive ending, the story is well written and deals realistically with issues that plague many teens.January 10, 2013 - Nadine R. - ISB
The Peculiar by Stefan Bachman (2012) - fantasy
Booklist (September 15, 2012 (Vol. 109, No. 2))
Grades 4-7. First-time novelist Bachmann crafts an elaborate alternate steampunk Britain, set after the Smiling War, when a door to the Old Country was opened and faeries of all types streamed into Bath. Bartholomew and his younger sister, Hettie, are changeling children, outcasts even amongst faeries. But someone is extremely interested in changelings, kidnapping and murdering nine of them in attempts to open a new door into the Old Country. When Hettie is taken, Bartholomew must try to save his sister from becoming the gateway that will destroy the world. Imaginative, highly descriptive writing includes faerie lore and mystery, thrilling adventure and friendship, and bursts of the fantastic and whimsical, all of which is tempered with a darkness that permeates the story. Alternating points of view from Bartholomew and Mr. Jelliby, a bumbling yet good-hearted member of the Privy Council who is helping him, keeps the story moving quickly, and the faerie Lord Lickerish is an appropriately creepy villain.January 10, 2013 - Nadine R. - ISB
The Mighty Miss Malone by Christopher Paul Curtis (2012) - Companion book to Bud, not Buddy. - historical fiction
Booklist (January 1, 2012 (Vol. 108, No. 9))
Grades 5-7. Deza Malone, 12, has a couple of big things going for her. She comes from a strong family, and she is smart as a whip. But there is plenty of bad to go along with the good. It’s 1936 and her dad can’t find work; her brother, Jimmie, he of the beautiful singing voice, isn’t growing; and her teeth, full of cavities, require treatment of cotton soaked with camphor. Can things get worse? Certainly. Her father disappears and her mother moves the family from Gary to Flint, which lands the trio in a Hooverville shack. Then Jimmie takes off to sing. Curtis tries to do too much here. Consequently, just when readers are getting invested, the story changes course or important plot points are dropped. Deza is devastated when she overhears her father say her rotting teeth make him avert his head, but her suffering is forgotten until, at the conclusion, she goes to a dentist. On the plus side, Deza is a snappy character that will grab readers, and Curtis’ portrayal of a family’s love for each other feels real and true. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Newbery-winner Curtis has a huge following. Readers will be enticed by his return to the Depression-era setting of Bud, Not Buddy (1999) and his reintroduction of Deza, one of the characters from that book.January 10, 2013 - Nadine R. - ISB
The second Life of Abigail Walker by Frances O'Roark Dowell (2012) - realistic fiction
Booklist starred (September 15, 2012 (Vol. 109, No. 2))
Grades 4-7. Abigail Walker is a large girl living in a medium-sized world. She tries to fit in at school with a group of girls whose purpose is defined by how bad they make her feel. On top of that, her father nags her about her weight, and her mother fails to recognize how her insistence on constant harmony is inherently unfair. What Abby wants is “rough edges” and permission “to feel whatever it was she was feeling.” When she encounters a fox in an overgrown lot across the street from her house, it has a talismanic effect, and Abby starts to see how social expectations do not define her own happiness. Dowell masterfully handles the hot-button topic of bullying and will have readers contemplating the pettiness and self-loathing that supports it. Beating at the triumphant heart of the book is Abigail’s realization that life is fullest when experienced genuinely. This is a story of Abigail’s crossings: crossing a computer lab to make a friend; crossing a street to find peaceful isolation; crossing a creek to escape a tormentor; and crossing all the lines drawn to prevent her from feeling alive inside. A timely and heartening book for today’s middle schoolers.January 9, 2013 - Eileen H., Suzhou SIS
My Name is Parvana by Deborah Ellis (2012) - realistic fiction
Kirkus Reviews (Online review posted August 1, 2012)
Grades 6 & up "In a follow-up that turns the Breadwinner Trilogy into a quartet, 15-year-old Parvana is imprisoned and interrogated as a suspected terrorist in Afghanistan...
This passionate volume stands on its own, though readers new to the series and to Ellis’ overall body of work will want to read every one of her fine, important novels.
Readers will learn much about the war in Afghanistan even as they cheer on this feisty protagonist." https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/deborah-ellis/my-name-is-parvana/
January 9, 2013 - Nadine R. - ISB
After Eli by Rebecca Rupp (2012) - realistic fiction
School Library Journal (September 1, 2012)
Gr 7 Up-Though it's been three years since his older brother was killed during the Iraq War, 14-year-old Danny Anderson is still coming to terms with this senseless tragedy. His parents can't offer solace because they're deeply mired in their own grief. As a means of coping, Danny changes his middle name to Eli to keep the memory of his brother alive, and he begins cataloging a Book of the Dead in which he lists the various ways people throughout history have died. Danny is transformed the summer preceding his sophomore year when he meets 15-year-old Isabelle and her younger brother and sister, twins Jasper and Journey. He also finds comfort in his budding friendship with brainy classmate Walter. As he spends more time with this motley group, Danny feels uplifted and becomes more introspective about life and death. While processing his grief, he starts to realize the importance of moving forward ("Sometimes you have to destroy the past so that you'll have to learn how to live in the new world."). Flashbacks recalling Danny's life with Eli lend heartbreaking pathos to this story. Rupp's poignant bildungsroman is therapeutic, particularly for those readers who have experienced the unimaginable loss of a loved one.-Lalitha Nataraj, Escondido Public Library, CA (c) Copyright 2012. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc.
January 9, 2013 - Nadine R. - ISB
Hokey Pokey by Jerry Spinelli (2013) - fantasy/fable
School Library Journal (January 1, 2013)
Gr 5-7-Hokey Pokey is a place where children live and rule themselves, riding bicycles like horses, watching cartoons on huge outdoor screens, throwing tantrums and getting hugged, all without an adult in sight. Their lives are almost pure joy as they dance the eponymous dance, savor the eponymous frozen treat, and listen to The Story of the Kid through little shells they carry in their pockets. Jack is their hero and ringleader, dealing with bully Harold the Destroyer, teaching Kiki lessons in sports and Lopez lessons in life, until the day things begin to change. Jack wakes to find that his beloved bike, Scramjet, has been commandeered by Jubilee, whom he despises because she's a girl. Answering his Tarzan cry of despair, Amigos LaJo and Dusty race to his side and notice before he does that Jack's stomach tattoo, given to all children once they're out of diapers, is starting to disappear. Fighting against the realization that Jack is going to leave them, they lure him into one last bike roundup, roping him and tying him down until Jubilee releases him, recognizing that he cannot resist the pull away from all of them toward the Forbidden Hut and the Train, and into The Story. Using elements of myth, allegory, fantasy, and not-quite science fiction, Spinelli has skillfully combined a stream-of-consciousness narrative with delicious inventive language to create a vivid, dreamlike world. This unforgettable coming-of-age story will resonate with tween readers and take its rightful place beside the author's Maniac Magee (Little, Brown, 1990) and Louis Sachar's Holes (Farrar, 1998).-Marie Orlando, formerly at Suffolk Cooperative Library System, Bellport, NY (c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc.
January 9, 2013 - Nadine R. - ISB
Maggot Moon by Sally Gardner (2012) - dystopia
Publishers Weekly (December 17, 2012)
Just when it seems that there's nothing new under the dystopian sun, Gardner (The Red Necklace) produces an original and unforgettable novel about a boy in a totalitarian society who risks everything in the name of friendship. Standish Treadwell narrates in short, fast-paced chapters, illustrated by theatrical designer/director Crouch with flipbook-style images of rats, flies, and maggots: creatures that represent the oppressive forces at work in the Motherland, a brutish government intent on being first to the moon, at whatever cost to its citizens. Fifteen-year-old Standish is dyslexic (as is the author), making him a target of bullies, which is the least of his problems. He lives with his resourceful grandfather in Zone Seven, but the Motherland has taken away his parents, as well as his best friend, Hector. The loss of his parents has created a hole Standish cannot fill; the disappearance of Hector leaves Standish unprotected at school and bereft of a friend who saw past Standish's disability to recognize his intelligence. "I believe the best thing we have is our imagination," Standish recalls Hector telling him, "and you have that in bucketloads." Though Standish's grandfather keeps the boy purposefully in the dark about many things, Standish figures out one of the government's big secrets on his own, and he concocts a brave and personally risky plan to reveal it. Parts of the story are very hard to read-early on, a classmate is beaten to death by a teacher in the schoolyard-but the violence asks readers to consider what the world would be like if certain events in history had turned out differently. Gardner does a masterful job of portraying Standish's dyslexia through the linguistic swerves of his narration, and although the ending is pure heartbreak, she leaves readers with a hopeful message about the power of one boy to stand up to evil. Ages 12-up. Agent: Catherine Clarke, Felicity Bryan Associates. (Feb.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
January 9, 2013 - Nadine R. - ISB
Peanut by Ayun Halliday (2013) - graphic novel
Horn Book (January/February, 2013)
In this introspective graphic novel, Sadie is apprehensive about changing high schools during her sophomore year. She breaks the ice with her classmates by casually dropping hints about her severe peanut allergy. Soon Sadie's courage in the face of her serious medical condition and her dramatic tales of near-miss incidents attract new friends and a love interest. There's just one problem: Sadie isn't really allergic to peanuts. Inspired by a friend's suggestion that a new school provides "a do-over" and even the possibility of popularity, she has seized the opportunity to reinvent herself. Sadie orders a medical ID bracelet and researches epinephrine injectors to lend credence to her lies even as she agonizes over whether to 'fess up. This secret, shared only with readers, places Sadie in a series of increasingly awkward situations, from cringe-worthy (the bronze-plated peanut on a chain with which new beau Zoo proudly presents her) to utterly humiliating (a school bake sale "emergency" where the truth is revealed). Underneath the many funny moments runs a poignant current as readers recognize -- better than Sadie herself -- the high costs of her dishonesty. Pen-and-ink drawings, digitally colored in blue tones with Sadie always in red, capture nuances of a wide range of emotions: anxiety, self-satisfaction, guilt, betrayal, and ultimately, forgiveness.
January 9, 2013 - Nadine R. - ISB
The Revolution of Evelyn Serrano by Sonia Manzano (2012) - realistic fiction
Booklist starred (October 15, 2012 (Vol. 109, No. 4))
Grades 6-9. Starting with the title, this wry, moving debut novel does a great job of blending the personal and the political without denigrating either. Growing up in the Puerto Rican East Harlem barrio in 1969, Rosa, 14, changes her name to Evelyn and tries to be more mainstream. Then her activist abuela arrives from Puerto Rico and moves in, and Evelyn feels as if she’s found “an older overdone version of me.” Abuela inspires Evelyn to join the Young Lords, the political activists who are working closely with the Black Panthers and fighting for Puerto Rican rights. But Evelyn’s mama does not approve, especially when the activists occupy the neighborhood church to demand food and shelter for the poor. Evelyn’s first-person narrative is filled with irreverent one-liners, but it never denies the realism of daily struggle: the “heat and stink of our neighborhood.” Rooted in the author’s own experience, the teen’s intense narrative is set against real-life political events (reports from the New York Times are documented in an appendix), while the family drama and revelations continue right up to the end.
January 9, 2013 - Nadine R. - ISB
I Funny by James Patterson - realistic fiction
Booklist (October 15, 2012 (Vol. 109, No. 4)
Grades 4-7. Built around the notion of a middle-grade stand-up comedian who delivers jokes sitting down because he is confined to a wheelchair, this tale is written as an extended monologue in which Jamie Grimm (get it?) introduces loyal school friends, his mostly loving adoptive family, and Stevie—his new brother, who is also a vicious bully both online and in person—then proceeds to savage them all indiscriminately from a talent-contest stage. Playing readers’ heartstrings like a banjo, Patterson and Grabenstein also chuck in two girlfriends and a first kiss, hints of a family tragedy strung out until near the end, an uplifting spontaneous routine delivered to the patients of a children’s rehab center, and, both in the narrative and in the line drawings on almost every page, dozens of gags both classic (Do zombies eat doughnuts with their fingers? No. They usually eat their fingers separately) and not so much (When kids in Grossville say, ‘Mommy, can I lick the bowl?’ their mothers say, ‘Be quiet, dear, and just flush’). In all, a brimming bucket of ba-da-bing! that hardly needs a celebrity author to crank up the audience numbers. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Patterson’s full-court press to capture the attention of every market in the reading public continues—and 25 million books sold for young readers proves it’s working.
January 9, 2013 - Nadine R. - ISB
Jinxby Sage Blackwood - fantasy
Kirkus Reviews starred (November 1, 2012)
Making unusually entertaining use of well-worn elements, this series opener plops a dense but promising young wizard-in-training between a pair of obnoxious rival mages. Left by his stepparents to die in the dangerous Urwald, Jinx is rescued by Simon Magus, a "possibly evil" forest-dwelling wizard whose obsession with magical research is matched only by a truly profound lack of people skills. Several years later, having learned a little magic but also injured by one of Simon's spells, Jinx stomps off in a rage to seek help. But hardly has he fallen in with a couple of ensorcelled fellow travelers, than all three fall into the clutches of the genial but rightly feared Bonemaster. Along with setting this adventuresome outing in a sentient forest populated by trolls, werewolves and giddy witches who bound about in butter churns, the pseudonymous Blackwood spins out lively dialogue threaded with comical rudeness and teasing. Trotting out a supporting cast whose inner characters are often at thought-provoking odds with their outer seeming, she also puts her central three through a string of suspenseful, scary situations before delivering a properly balanced closing set of resolutions, revelations and road signs to future episodes. Unsurprisingly, Jinx displays hints of developing powers beyond the ordinary. Astonishingly, he and his world still seem fresh, for all that they echo familiar tropes. (Fantasy. 10-12)
December 4, 2012 - Nadine R. - ISB - fantasy
Ruby Red by Kerstin Gier (originally published in Germany in 2009 as Rubinrot, published in the US in 2011 by Henry Holt & Co as Ruby Red)
From the Publisher: Gwyneth Shepherd's sophisticated, beautiful cousin Charlotte has been prepared her entire life for traveling through time. But unexpectedly, it is Gwyneth, who in the middle of class takes a sudden spin to a different era! Gwyneth must now unearth the mystery of why her mother would lie about her birth date to ward off suspicion about her ability, brush up on her history, and work with Gideon &- the time traveler from a similarly gifted family that passes the gene through its male line, and whose presence becomes, in time, less insufferable and more essential. Together, Gwyneth and Gideon journey through time to discover who, in the 18th century and in contemporary London, they can trust.
December 4, 2012 - Nadine R. - ISB
After by Morris Gleitzman (2012) - historical fiction
This is the fourth book in the series Once, Then, Now. After fits in between Then and Now and continues the adventures of Felix during WW II.
Felix, now 13, has been in hiding for two years in a barn on the farm belonging to his friend, Gabriek. He mistakes a party of men who arrive at the farm for Nazis. Polish partisans are fighting the retreating Germans and, unbeknown to Felix, Gabriek is an explosives expert and one of them.
Read more:http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/books/powerful-final-chapter-ends-a-boys-war-20120823-24nao.html#ixzz2E33Me4re
The four books, Now, Then, After, Now can be read as separate works and not necessarily in order.
December 11, 2012 - Nadine R. - ISB
Hero on a bicycleby Shirley Hughes (Walker Books, 2012) - historical fiction
From the Publisher: In her first novel, beloved author Shirley Hughes presents a World War II adventure proving that in extraordinary circumstances, people are capable of extraordinary things.
Italy, 1944: Florence is occupied by Nazi forces. The Italian resistance movement has not given up hope, though — and neither have thirteen-year- old Paolo and his sister, Costanza. As their mother is pressured into harboring escaping POWs, Paolo and Costanza each find a part to play in opposing the German forces. Both are desperate to fight the occupation, but what can two siblings — with only a bicycle to help them — do against a whole army? Middle-grade fans of history and adventure will be riveted by the action and the vividly evoked tension of World War II.
November 15, 2012 - Karen G. , ISB
Ungifted by Gordon Korman - school fiction
Booklist (July 2012 (Vol. 108, No. 21))
Grades 5-8. Korman’s novel follows the strange journey of Donovan Curtis, a prankster whose latest escapade does unintended but colossal damage to the Hardcastle Middle School gym and lands him in the beleaguered school superintendent’s office. There he is miraculously misassigned to the district’s gifted school, where this average student is determined to stay, hiding out from the administration and the retribution he fears. Meanwhile, Donovan makes a place for himself on the school’s robotics team and begins to see his gifted classmates in a new light. Similar to the approach used in Schooled (2007), here Korman tells the story vividly through a rotating series of first-person narrators, including Donovan, his classmates, his teachers, his sister, and the superintendent. The narrator’s name and IQ appears below each chapter’s title. While some stereotypes are upended and there are plenty of issues to ponder along the way, many readers will simply enjoy following Donovan’s story as it unfolds. From its lovable-robot jacket art to its satisfying conclusion, this will please Korman’s fans and win him new ones.Hands around the Library: Protecting Egypt's Treasured Books by Susan Roth - non-fiction
Booklist (September 1, 2012 (Vol. 109, No. 1))
Grades 2-4. Straight from recent headlines, this stirring picture book tells of young people’s role in leading the Egyptian uprising. Both the direct free-verse lines and pictures reveal the exciting story of how crowds of kids join hands with the library director to protect the beautiful modern building and its more than one million books and up-to-date technology. Then the young marchers spread a huge Egyptian flag across the library steps. One child is excited and hopeful: They raised their voices / and many others followed. But there is also fear: What if angry protestors tried to burn down the precious library? Roth’s collage illustrations contrast scenes of the library’s interior with marchers in the streets of Cairo and Alexandria. The extensive back matter includes translations of the Arabic protest signs, facts about Alexandria then and now, and photos of the library—streets packed with fierce protestors and the real flag on the library steps. A great title for cross curricular sharing.November 22, 2012 - Nadine R. - ISB
Gods and Warriors by Michelle Paver (Puffin, 2012) - historical fiction
From a time of myths and ancient magic will come the legend of the lost city of Atlantis, tales of gods and warriors - and the rise of a hero.
His sister is missing. His dog has been killed. High in the Greek mountains, Hylas is running for his life.
The mysterious black warriors want Hylas dead. So begins his quest across land and sea with only a girl and a dolphin by his side. But the warriors are relentless. Why are they hunting Hylas - and how will he survive?
Perfect for fans of epic, action-packed adventures from Pirates of the Caribbean to The Lord of the Rings. Don't miss this brand new series from the internationally acclaimed Michelle Paver, author of Wolf Brother.
November 22, 2012 - Nadine R. - ISB
Fourmile by Watt Key - realistic fiction
Horn Book (November/December, 2012)
Twelve-year-old Foster is bereft without his father, killed in a recent accident in the woods. His family’s two-hundred-acre farm, Fourmile, “was something I was molded around, all I knew, the best of him and me and Mother.” Now, without his father, everything seems “still and quiet and lifeless,” and things get worse when his mother’s new boyfriend, Dax, shows up drunk and mean. But then a mysterious stranger comes into their lives and changes everything. He becomes a father figure for Foster, and together they fix the barn roof, paint the fence, get the old tractor going, and mow the fields. Gary even shows Foster how to shoot a pistol. But Dax is jealous of Gary and the increasing attention he seems to be getting from Linda, Foster’s mother. A gun-toting stranger, a jealous boyfriend, a woman caught in the middle, and the likelihood of violence -- it all sounds like something out of the Wild West, but this novel is set in modern-day rural Alabama. Though Gary makes Foster’s life “fresh and adventurous,” danger is afoot, and Foster will do a lot of growing up in a short time. Key masterfully plots the story of home, family, and fate, and readers will race to the conclusion, sensing the trouble to come between Dax and Gary; throughout, it’s the uncertainty surrounding Gary’s identity and past that will keep readers intrigued. An original and satisfying coming-of-age tale. dean schneider
November 12, 2012 - Eleanor S - IST
Divergent (Book 1) by Veronica Roth. Katherine Tegen Books, 2011. - dystopia
This is the first book in a trilogy with Insurgent (Book 2) already available in hardcover. With a huge and growing following and lots of buzz around the pending film-version, the book is sure to appeal to the Hunger Gamesfan. From Horn Book: "Divergent by Veronica Roth is a movie-ready example of a novel that includes tantalizing snippets of a dystopic society that has led to citizens deriving their identity from belonging to one of five personality-based factions. While much of the focus is actually on Beatrice’s response to not slotting perfectly into one of those factions and her training once she chooses, there is no doubt that she will indeed select from the limited options she is presented, unable to envision what a different path would resemble."
November 12, 2012 - Nadine R. - ISB
Wonder by R.J. Palacio. Transworld Publishers Ltd, p2012, c2012 - school fiction/realistic fiction
Ten-year-old August Pullman wants to be ordinary. He feels ordinary - inside. But Auggie is far from ordinary. Born with a terrible facial abnormality, he has been home-schooled by his parents his entire life. Now, Auggie's parents are sending him to a real school. Can he convince his new classmates that he's just like them, underneath it all? (From Titlewave)
November 12, 2012 - Nadine R. - ISB
Variant by Robison Wells. Harper Teen, c2011 - scifi
After years in foster homes, seventeen-year-old Benson Fisher applies to New Mexico's Maxfield Academy in hopes of securing a brighter future, but instead he finds that the school is a prison and no one is what he or she seems.
Booklist (October 15, 2011 (Vol. 108, No. 4))
Grades 8-11. .... This is good old-fashioned paranoia taken to giddy extremes, especially when a totally implausible—but nonetheless enjoyably insane—twist upends the plot in the final act. Take Veronica Roth’s Divergent (2011), strip out the angst, add a Michael Grant–level storytelling pace, and you have this very satisfying series starter. (Book 2: Feedback
c2012)